Riding Hood and the Wolf
by NaniLove15
Summary: Natsu lived in a little town cut of from the world by a dense forest. he was a hunter. the best hunter, and has been since his mom died in an "accident" . he goes on a hunting trip like many before with his fellow hunters. but something goes wrong...he meets a girl..wait?..a wolf? what happens when the hunter falls in love with the hunted? Nalu
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is! the first chapter to my first story, i had fun typing this up...sorry its a little melancholy at first, the next chapter will be funny i promise! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own either Fairy Tail or any of it's characters.**

Once upon a time...dare i say it...

Was a little tight-nit town in the middle of the woods, miles from any city or kingdom...

It was a thriving little town, made up of little brick houses and paved roads that were as black as night...

the people that lived in the town, were all working people...

Florists that would go out and pick flowers from the abundant meadows, Carpenters that were surrounded with the millions of trees that stood hundreds of feet tall, Bakers that had wheat fields and farms so they never ran out, But the most important of all..

The Hunters...

forest around it was made up of thick trees that towered over the little houses, always protecting it...but endangering it as well...

you see there were animals of magical nature in the forest...

elves..fairy's...unicorns...WOLVES...

some like the elves and fairy'sand things were peaceful, and left the little town be..

but others loved to cause trouble...

the Hunters were there to protect the people...but also to hunt for game...

this sounds a bit boring right?..i know...lets let the fun start...

on a particular peaceful day, the soft breeze was blowing through the meadows

i laid in the red Heliotrope ..the breeze blowing the sweet smell of flowers around me...

i was in my hunting uniform, black boots that went to my knees and laced all the way up the back, my long black cloak that covered my leather vest and black leather pants and my black gloves with the finger holes cut out for easy weapon assess ...

i sighed, as i heard footsteps of someone trying to be quiet..

"what do you want john?" i said , and the footsteps stopped...

"how do you know it was me?...how did you know i was here!?" he called out from about 10 feet away..

"you stomped all over the Hyacinthoides or Bluebells, your footsteps are too heavy and you breath through your mouth" i replied as john looked down at his feet and indeed saw that he has smothered the blue flowers..."but, this uniform is too heavy!" he complained as he once again started to stomp towards me.. i looked up and blocked the sun with my hand, there stood my little brother John Hood in the Hunting uniform, it was like mine except it was brown, had a small red badge to show he was a beginner, and of course it was way smaller...he had bright blue eyes and i had onix... he had chocolate brown hair, where i had Pink hair...

"well get used to it... we leave tonight for your first mission, and you'll have to walk through 10 miles of forest and you cant scare away the animals" i replied as he sat down next to me

"i know, i know everyone keeps telling me i need to improve..but its my first hunt!"

i nodded not really listening "so what are you doing out here anyways?" i asked

he sighed "dad told me to get used to my uniform, and he said if i could sneak up on you then id be ready, but that's impossible!..he's always talking about his eldest son being the best hunter in the whole town!" john sighed again "don't listen to what dad says ...i'm not the best" i replied sitting up and looking at the clouds swirling overhead...

"yeah but, you did beat dad in sparring..." john said trailing off as he stared at the blue-ish flowers near him...

"hey, Natsu?" he asked i turned to look at him "what?" he pointed to a flower "what kind of flower is this?" he asked i looked at it "that is a Lunaria or Money Plant" i said ..."oh...what about that one?" he asked pointing to a red and yellow flower "that is a Marigold " i replied once again..."how do you know about all these flowers?" john asked ...i was silent for a second ..."mom used to be a florist..she owned that flower shop connected to our house..you know that" i muttered..."oh...mom" john whispered...there was a moment of silence, and my eyes never left the sky, and the swirling clouds above...

"don't you think the flowers need to be watered?" john asked as i was standing up "they will be.." i replied as i started to walk off "what do you mean?" john asked standing up as well... i pulled up my hood and pointed to the sky just as the rain started to come down..

"you could have told me that it was going to rain!" he shouted as he ran after me...

i followed the carved out trial through the trees that surrounded the town, soon we came across the giant wooden gate , that was the entrance to the giant wooden wall around the little town for protection. Through the gate led paved roads...the gate was enormous, it was carved out of the tallest trees and was 20 feet tall, it had two guard posts on either side. i waved up at the guard and he shouted to open the gate,...only hunters were permitted through the gate ...and with a loud creaking sound the gate slowly opened and i walked through, with john at my heels...

i walked along the paved roads through town as the people were closing up their windows and covering their shops..."why does everyone close there windows like that when it rains?" john asked quietly.. i looked at him and then back to the road "because bad things happen in the rain" i replied . john looked around once more..."what kind of, bad things?" he whispered, i stepped into a puddle with a little splash.."creatures from the forest come out in the rain" i replied john staid silent for the rest of the walk home..

after a few more minutes of walking in the rain we came across a particular flower shop. A little bell rang as i opened the door and walked in, john following me...it was warm in the shop,and it always smelled sweet...the wooden floors were stained with dirt and water but that gave the room character...flowers were spread out all over the room, all organized neatly..

i took of my wet cloak and hung it on a coat stand next to the door. i walked over the the counter where the tables, were set up with flower pots and vases..i inspected the flowers and plants throughout the store... "oh!, Natsu, i didn't know you came in" i turned to see my childhood best friend Lisanna, she wore a long white apron and yellow gloves, her white hair was pulled back with a red bandanna. She smiled "I've been taking care of the shop while you were gone on your 'break' " she said, i nodded "thanks " she smiled again "did you see anything today? like ..any magical creatures?" she asked curiously i shook my head "no, those are just legends Mary" i replied sitting on the counter "you look tired Natsu" she said i nodded "yeah the training has been tough..but it all pays off" she smiled "if you say so" it was quiet for a second before she asked " are you sure you haven't seen anything magical in the woods?" i shook my head "but what about the story's about the unicorns who ate grass in the meadows and that's why the flowers bloom all year round?" i looked at her "i haven't seen any unicorns yet " i said "and i don't think i ever will...even if they did exist their probably long gone now " she huffed "i don't think so..i still think monsters and things exist, I've read so many story's about them!" john and i laughed "whats so funny!?" Lisanna muttered "its exactly what you said..you've read so many STORIES ...that's all they are" i said, she crossed her arms over her chest.."one day ill prove it, ill hike up to the mountains, where people say the monsters and magical creatures live" i rolled my eyes "ill go too!" john said with a smile Lisanna hugged him "its nice to see at least one brother believes!" she stuck her tongue out at me... "thanks again for watching over the shop" i said as i looked over all the flowers "i'm happy to help..thank you for letting me run the shop" Lisanna said "brother loves the flowers he knows all their names !" john said with a smile, Lisanna looked at him then to me "but i don't know why you don't do it...you love tending to the flowers!, and you have a green thumb... all you have to do is tell your dad you don't want to be a hun-" i interrupted her "Lisanna..." i looked at her. "you know exactly why i cant do that.." "but you love the flowers!.. the only reason why your a hunter is because its what your father wants! why don't you do what you want?...and your mother would have wanted you to do it!" i staid silent as i stared out the window .."Natsu, i can talk to your dad i can help, i want you to be happy" she continued... john looked at Lisanna with a concerned face "Lisanna..." he whispered "Natsu...ever since your mom died you've been doing what your dad wanted... you've changed..you haven't been the kind funny natsu i used to know...now your all serious and stern because that's what your father wants..why don't you do what you want?" she asked "what do you know?" i said coldly ... "i know that you have been interested in flowers and plants ever since i met you!..and i also know that ever since your mom died in that rock slide you've changed!" i turned to face her... "you don't know anything..my mom didn't die in a rock slide..and its my choice to be a hunter, so stay out of it" i said sternly she staid silent as i walked past her "the daisy's need to be re-potted" i said before i climbed the wooden stairs up to my room...i closed the door behind me..

my room was average size with a desk in the corner next to the window, my bed behind it along the wall and a closet across from that..the walls were painted blue and had maps of the forest pinned to them ...

i walked over and grabbed my backpack from the corner, i checked the supplies in it and packed it full of the things i would need for the next few days..

i glanced at the window to see, the light coming in..it was a hazy glow, a warm color..i estimated that it was about 7:00...

i made my bed and picked up my bag as i exited my room..

when i got downstairs i saw john had already packed and was waiting in the shop...

Lisanna had left and it was quiet ...

john looked up "oh!, i didn't hear you come down" he said i nodded "exactly" i replied, he glared..

i sat on the counter "did you pack everything you need?" i asked john nodded i smiled and ruffled his hair "we'll be meeting dad at the gates in a little bit so be ready to lock up and leave" i said as i walked . john stood up strait "yes sir!" he smiled,

it was still raining when we left. We were heading down the road i heard some one call me "Natsu! Yo! wait up!" i turned to see gray and gajeel running to catch up with me and john,

gajeel grunted a "yo" they both doubled over catching their breath "man...are you ...deaf or..what?..we were...running after you for the past..two blocks flame brain!" gray said out of breath . I glared at him "hey gray and gajeel, this is my first hunt!" john pipped in "oh yeah i forgot it was his first hunt" gajeel said gray looked confused, he looked at me, to gajeel, and then to john a few times then said "who's the runt?" he asked pointing a thumb to john "he's my little brother stupid!" i replied hitting him across the head,gajeel nodded "how was i supposed to know?!" gray replied "uhh...I've met you a few times before" john said looking at gray... gray stared at him for a while..."oh yeah...i knew that" he said as if he knew all along "tch" gajeel muttered

"hey!, what are you guys doing out here!?" we all turned to see a red head running towards us at full speed.."e-erza!" we all said simultaneously. she wore the same uniform as the rest of us...she is the only girl in the hunters"you're all late!, you were supposed to be at the gate ten minutes ago!" she glared at the four of us "its not my fault!" i said "gray made me late cause he's slow!" i said pointing an accusing finger towards gray "hey!, don't blame me!, its your fault we were standing here talking about Jeremy!" gray said "my name is john" john replied quietly "wait..that means your late too erza!" i said "it doesn't matter!" she hit me and gray on the heads "hey i didn't do anything!" gray shouted

"just go!" she yelled, we all ran full speed towards the gate erza shouting the whole time...


	2. Chapter 2

**so here it is, my second chapter...Sorry if its short i'm trying t space it out :3**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Fairy tail or any of its characters **

Splash. Splash!, the five of us ran through the streets, sending droplets of water flying as we stormed through the many puddles..."This way!" gray shouted as he cut around a corner for a short cut . We all followed close tail, because we knew being late to the hunters gathering would give us a HUGE penalty. "I hope we don't miss the speech!" John said "Don't worry!, we'll make it!" I replied .

"there it is!" Erza shouted

and indeed there ahead about 200 feet in the distance was the gathering. A large group of people most carrying torches, stood in front of the massive wooden gate all wearing long dark cloaks like ours .

we slowed to a stop...

Erza looked at us "just act natural!" she whispered there was a silent agreement as she slowly and quietly lead the way towards the back of the large crowd . I looked over to John . he was nervous you could obviously tell he was shaking, although he tried his best to hide it "john don't worry...i'm late all the time..I never get caught" I said he smiled a little and followed Erza.

Gray was whistling nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets...And for some reason he was missing his cloak..? Gajeel had found a torch and was holding it in the air .

I walked up to the back of the crowd john following me .We made it just in time for the speech .

At the front of the crowd the Captain was giving the orders ...My dad...

His serious expression that he always had, did not fail to show today. He had red hair like mine, but not as ...wild...

"Squad twelve, Area One . Squad eleven , Area Two..." he shouted orders his cold eyes firm . the squads as they were called stood in neat lines and walked towards the gate leaving less and less people standing waiting for orders...

I felt a little tug on my cloak . I looked down to see a confused John "Natsu?...What is Dad Talking about?" he asked curiously

"he's giving the missions for this week" I replied . John continued to look confused

I sighed..."umm...each team is sorted into 'squads'" I explained, john nodded as he listened . "and each squad is assessed, according to their strength, twelve being the lowest and zero being the strongest... And each team has about five or 6 members " "what about the zones..or whatever?" John asked "the areas?..." I asked John nodded "yeah that's what I meant.." I continued "The areas are organized by how dangerous they are . There are twenty four areas. Twenty four being the less dangerous and one being the most . All consisting of 60 miles each . " johns draw dropped "we have to walk that far!?" "no, we have to _hike_ double that, its uphill . we are in the mountains, while caring our supplies " johns soul was crushed "ill never make it as a hunter.." he whimpered his head sinking "its okay, each team has a horse to carry supplies and occasionally and injured person" john smiled "ill be and 'injured' person right?" he nudged me with his elbow raising his eyebrows in a weird motion . I shook my head "no cheating!, especially on your first hunt, you need to get used to the terrain" john sunk again as I continued explaining "Anyways... each area is assigned to a team according to their strength ..." john smiled "I think I got it now!" I nodded "good" but his smiled soon faded.."but..wait..which team are you natsu?" he asked.. I looked around to see the only people left were me, John, Gray, Gajeel, and Erza.."we are team zero" I said as my father started to walk towards us... Johns eyes widened..."Z-zero?" he whispered

"hey Natsu..is it just me or..is your dad kinda scary?" I looked behind me to see Gray, shaking but trying to hide it by crossing his arms over his now bare chest..he was missing his shirt... I smiled "nope..just you" Gajeel chuckled gray shot a glance at me that looked like " don't embarrass me or ill kick your ass!" that or he was constipated ...

"Natsu" I spun back around to my father only a foot away from me...kind intimidating..I see what Gray was talking about now... "Yes sir?" I replied "your in charge of Area five" he said turned to walk away, and I felt a pain in my chest.. "Father..you said I when I was in team zero I would be able to hunt in area One.." my father stopped in his tracks "your not ready for Area One" he said simply... "but, I the best hunter, you cant just-" he cut me off "No, its too dangerous" he continued to walk, I walked after him and grabbed hold of his shoulder "Dad!-" he looked me in the eyes, his dark, cold one staring back at me...I felt my protest catch in my throat, and there was an uneasy silence left hanging in the air as my father brushed my hand off his shoulder and mounted his horse then rode out the gate.

I clenched my fists "Natsu..." john whispered.

Erza put her hand on my shoulder.."come on Natsu, lets get going" she smiled a little . I sighed and unrolled my fists..."yeah..lets go"

We packed all of the supplies onto the horse that we couldn't carry . Erza held the reins and guided the horse through eh dense forest ... And as soon as we set foot out the gate gray started top complain

"god, why is it so dark out here?" Gray Said looking around "tch..Its night time you idiot" Gajeel replied "hey I'm not and idiot! " gray protested ...

they were yelling back and forth and I tried to block them out..

John walked next to Erza, i guess he fely that was the safest place to be, whilst in the forest at night.

I had lit a torch before we left and I was shinning around, lighting the way. The light from the flames dancing on the trees. I could feel the heat of the flames on my face, and it felt good against the cold night air . I stopped in the path as my eyes fixed on a patch of flowers...Nicotiana, the soft pink petals glowing in the flame light...

The flames shone on the trees around us and played tricks on our mind...

after a mile or two I swore I saw something ... a rustling in the wind made me loose focus "what is that?" I whispered to myself.." I stared at a bush ... the leaves where swaying slowly in the breeze, and with the flames light shining on them, it looked as if something was watching us...my heart started to beat slightly faster . I crouched down and picked up a pebble and tossed it into the bush...but there was only silence "Yo! Natsu?, what's the hold up?" Gray called out from behind me "Its nothing" I said continuing down the path..

"Its Nothing " I muttered to myself...because even the best hunter gets scared...

**so?, please Review!**

**i had a lot of fun writing this chapter!**

**until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay! here it is Chapter 3, I had a ton of fun typing this up..and thanks to my amamzing beta, it turned out perfectly! (thanks so much!)**

**Enjoy!~**

**Disclaimer : I do not, nor will I ever own Fairy Tail or its characters (sadly) **

Walking down the trail, my eyes darted from side to side constantly. Ever since I had heard something from that bush, I don't know why, but I felt as if something was following us, like eyes from the dark are watching my every move. It unnerved me to no end and I was anxious throughout the entire trip, which is never my style.

This has to be my imagination, but every now and then, I'd hear a snapping of a twig or a little scratching sound and movement off on the side. My sharp ears would hear thumps of something running every now and then off in the brush. Yet, when I would look off in that particular direction, the sound would vanish and the only thing I heard were our horses walking the trail and the small breaths of air coming from our nostrils and mouths.

My heart thumped a bit unsteadily as I continued on down the path. There has to be something here with us, I know it. I can feel it in my gut.

_Was something going to attack us? Was there really something there or was it in my mind?_ I thought as I heard Snow-shit and Erza talk some small talk and Metal-bastard doing God-knows-what. Probably scowling at the flies and bugs eating at our skin at night and grumbling about either Ice-prick or myself.

It was so hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. First the noises, now the feeling of being watched. What's next; getting attacked by an unknown force?

* * *

It felt like hours when we were walking, but when the torch light started to fade, I realized something; we had been walking for about two hours, and I hadn't seen the campsite yet.

I was starting to get nervous, anxious even more when my mind was playing tricks on me. Whatever this feeling was, it was freaking me out. The darkness was like a cloak and I felt cautious and trapped under the layers of blackness.

And it only got darker in that dense, secluded forest. The only sounds were rustles and whispers in the wind, and that sent shivers down my spine. Yeah, you heard it right, I'm afraid and a little bit scared, I'll admit. But every time I felt fear, Gildarts' words would ring inside my head, "Fear is not "evil". It is to know your own weakness. If you know your weakness, people can become strong and gentle."

We passed a bend in the trail and ahead was a slightly steep hill. Out of nowhere, I heard the sound of rushing water off in the distance. "A waterfall, huh? I didn't know there was a waterfall here." Gray muttered, leaning a bit forward towards the sound.

"Yeah, me either." I replied. I looked to my left and saw just through the trees the water flowing over the edge and falling hundreds of feet down to the river that ran throughout the mountain.

Turning around, I looked back to the trail, looking around. "We should have arrived at the camp site by now . . ." I whispered. Maybe I took a wrong turn? No, that can't be right, I know the trail like the back of my hand. Every hunter is trained and taught the trails from when they first start. I was the top of my class; there is no way I'm lost, unless I was distracted. If you're distracted, then you'll lose sight of where you are for sure. But I was never distracted, so why now?

Images of a rustling bush ran through my mind, along with the soft nicotiana pink.

Don't ask why I just thought of that, my mind did. Blame it on "it" if you want.

"Shit!" I stopped in the middle of the path, my horse jumping in surprise. I turned and looked in all directions. If I found one of the trail markings, I should be able to figure out were I'm at and lead us to the right path. Hunters' always mark the trails for situations just like this one.

Turning my horse in all directions, my eyes glanced at the trees, on rocks, even in the dirt.

Nothing. Not a sign of recognition.

"Damn it!" I screamed in frustration, scowling at my fists that had wrapped around the horse reins.

"Natsu, what's wrong?"

I turned my steed to see Erza holding John's hand and the reins to the horse, but she also had a worried look on her face.

"It's nothing, just give me a minute." I muttered as I searched around for the markings again. There has to be something, I know it. The more I looked, the more desperate I got. I needed to find those markings for multiple reasons;

1) I don't know where we are in the forest. We could be miles inside and not even realize.

2) We need to camp for the night, but sleeping anywhere other than the campsites was a big "no, no". Campsites were made for hunters to rest without worry of an animal eating their face off while they're sleeping. Yeah, that has happened before, but that's for another time. I'll tell you this; it wasn't pretty to see or imagine any creature of the night come up and destroy you, possibly decapitate you and eat your intestines-

Okay I have to stop. Just thinking about it is making me queasy.

And lastly, option number 3) We could have wandered into a dangerous Area and could be attacked at any given moment.

"Flame-shit, I'm tired! When are we gonna get to the safe spot, Mr. I'm-the-top-of-my-class?" Gray called out.

"I'm working on it!" I irritably said. Ice-face, I swear, when this is over, I'm getting you back for that comment!

"Natsu are you sure you're okay?" John asked. I nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm fine! I just gotta find the mark!"

There was a brief silence, a little too quiet for my taste. "Wait, a mark? Does that mean we're lost, Fire-face?" Metal-head asked, glaring at me.

I sighed heavily. I'm not even gonna try with that Metal-head. "Yeah," I wearily said, "I got distracted and now I don't know where we are . . ." I gestured to the dark trail around us. Or where the trail would be if I could see well enough.

"Is there anything we can do?" Erza asked, crossing her arms and giving a stern look to me. I nodded, "Help me look for the mark. You know, the sign that shows us where we are?"

My team members nodded.

"Got it!" Ice-prick said, as he and everyone started to look around for the mark. Erza tied the horses to a low handing branch and started looking with John.

"Um, Natsu?" John muttered. It was barely there, but I heard it. "What does the mark look like?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, if I remember correctly, it would be the letter "A" that stands for "Area" and the number of what sector we are in. From that, I can tell where we are." John nodded in understanding and followed Erza around, looking through bushes and trees.

Ice-prick popped up out of a bush with leaves and twigs stuck in his head, frowning and shouted, "Not here!"

Metal-face was wandering aimlessly in circles checking the same tree over and over again. "Not here either!" he called out.

Erza and John were moving rocks and looking under them. "We haven't found it either!" the two said, simultaneously.

"It's okay, keep looking! It's bound to be around here somewhere!" I replied. For some strange reason, I didn't really believe in my words that well. It felt like a gut feeling, but more towards my mind.

That's weird.

I shone the fire light at a tall oak tree about ten feet away. It was enormous, standing at a great 100 feet and it looked even more terrifying in the dark, sending an assortments of shadows. I looked up the tree and it seemed to shoot straight into the sky for miles. The roots jolted and stuck out of the moss covered ground like it had once been alive and moved. The trunk itself was about 50 feet thick, making us look like ants-

Which was also a perfect spot for a mark!

Without hesitation and no fear, I ran up the the tree, grabbing the closest branch and started to climb the colossal tree, searching for any signs or something that would look like someone was here. After finding nothing up the tree, I climbed down and on the roots, up to the base of the trunk. It looked as if it hadn't been touched in years; the trunk was covered in a soft green moss.

With one hand, I reached up and rubbed the green moss. Surprisingly, chunks of it fell off at once, and I saw what I wanted to see; a carving.

"Guys! I found it!" I called, grinning. My team ran over to where I was and stood at the base of the tree. "Well? What does it say?" Metal-head impatiently said, annoying me a little bit. I rubbed off the last of the moss, seeing the sign and my skin paled quickly.

"Come on tell us!" Ice-face added, starting to strip out of his uniform. Erza beat him to it and punched him, leaving a pink bulging spot on his face.

My arm fell to my side, and I swallowed some spittle that gathered in my mouth. "No . . . it can't be . . ." I whispered, my eyes wide like saucers.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" John asked, giving a confused glance at me, then looking at Erza uneasily.

The wavering light from the torch shone on the carved symbols, lighting up the sign and making the bark glow with an orange hue. "I must be seeing things," I said, rubbing my eyes and I looked again, hoping that my mind was playing tricks and that I was too sleep-deprived to even think or see anything.

The same symbols were there.

"Well come on! What does it say?" Erza asked, starting to get impatient and tapping her iron-clad foot.

"It says," I said, gulping down the last of my spit in my wind pipe and spoke clearly. This time, my voice was louder and shaking of definite panic. ". . . A . . . 20 . . ."

A large gush of cold wind rushed through out hair and passed our stiff and freezing bodies.

What was left of the flaming torch blew out, leaving nothing but a little stream of smoke floating through the air. I felt something cold drop onto my face. I looked up in time to see a bright strike of lightning that lit up the forest for a split second. It was enough time for me to see the path.

As the lightning struck again, the flash had given me enough time to notice that all the trees further than the oak tree had scratches, claw marks, anything that had cuts deeper that five inches into the bark.

A loud rumbling thunder echoed through the sky, which was followed by the freezing rain that felt like tiny cold shocks of buckets of ice thrown on my head. I pulled up my hood and everyone else did the same, except for Ice-prick.

"Oh my God, we're gonna die!" Ice-prick shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. The rain had pelted down harder, drenching our clothing with rain. From what I could tell, he fell to his knees and started to cry. Well, he looked like he was crying, since the rain didn't get his face and liquid fell down his cheeks.

Or maybe the rain did get his face.

"The last thing I wanted was to be lead by Hot-head into a dark part of the forest for me to just to die in the end!" Ice-prick shouted and started to get angry. I stood still, trying to figure out if I had seen it right or if it was just another trick.

"Natsu, what do we do? We're miles from any other team." Erza said as I jumped down off of the root into the muddy ground. I looked at her; Erza's expression was concerned and grim, but mostly scared and worried for the others.

John clutched her hand tightly as he looked up at me. "Now that I know where we are, I can lead us out of here." I said as we walked back to where the horses had been tied up.

Until we saw that our means of transportation were gone, like they vanished out of thin air.

"Erza, where did you tie up the horses?" I asked, looking around for the animals. Said girl walked up from behind me, "I tied them right over there-!" she stopped mid sentence when she saw the reins were ripped up and torn apart on the ground.

Metal-head walked to where we were. "What's going on here?" he asked. I noticed that he was irritated and was not happy with the sudden weather.

"All our supplies . . ." Erza whispered, her eyes still on the spot where the horses should be.

Feeling everyone's uneasiness, I tried to keep everyone calm and rational, "Everyone stay calm. We'll figure this out."

Ice-pop had joined us as well. "Calm? You want us to stay calm?" he said, his eyes irises were now tiny dots and his face an unhealthy red. "HOW CAN WE BE CALM!?" he shouted louder, to the point of under screaming, but enough to be considered louder than normal.

"Hey, be a little quieter Ice-pop! We don't know what kind of creatures are out here!" I replied, glancing around the area. Still eerie and bleak as ever.

"Yeah and speak for yourself! I'm totally calm." Metal-head said, his arms over his chest, but his knees were obviously shaking.

I looked up at the dark and cloud-filled sky, trying to think of something that would help out all of us. Clearing my head of irrational thoughts, we had three options;

1) Stay here, freeze in the rain, and get eaten alive,

2) Try to hike back where we came,

And last, but not least, option 3) Continue deeper into the forest.

Without even looking, I already knew the third one isn't an option to go with.

"Okay, here's the plan!" I said, the others looking my way. I continued, hoping that we would agree on one of my suggestions, "we hike back down the trail and find the right path. It may take all night, but it's better than sitting here in the rain."

John nodded, "I'm all for it." After John spoke, the other three said a simultaneous, "Yeah, I agree."

"Alright, let's go." I said as I lead the way down the trail.

* * *

We had been hiking uphill for the past few miles and now the once firm ground was slick and muddy from the heavy down pour. "Everyone, be careful! It's a bit slippery!" I yelled throughout the cold rain and the blistering wind.

"Psh, no duh Captain Obvious!" Ice-queen replied, rolling his eyes, unknowingly tripping over a rock and landing face first in the mud.

"Tch, yeah. It was _so_ obvious, huh?" Metal-head said, snickering at Ice-Popsicle. For once, I agree with Metal-head . . .

"Come on! We need to get out of the hills as soon as possible!" Erza said, picking up the pace.

Ice-face picked himself up out of the thick mud, as Erza, John, Metal-head and myself were trying not to laugh. Begrudgingly, Ice-shit wiped the mud from his face and slung it to the side, wiping away the debris and scowling when he saw all of our laughing faces. "It's not FUNNY!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the trees and whatever else was out there.

"Snowflake, if you're not careful, you'll cause a rock slide!" I muttered, giving him a hard glare. After I said that, there was silence. Suddenly, there was the sound of a low rumble, nothing like the thunder that plundered up above us. My team and I exchanged a glance with everyone. At the same time, Snow-shit, Erza, John and I looked to Metal-face. "Hey, it wasn't me." Metal-head said, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders and looking to everyone else.

I looked up the trail and my eyes widened, "Shit! Time to run! It's a rock slide!"

Everyone followed my line of vision and were shocked as well. Without a doubt in their mind, Team Natsu ran faster then a pack of cheetahs. Ice-prick, as the stupid person he was, turned around and his jaw dropped, a wave of panic dropping on him like bricks.

Screaming, Icicle started to scream, "FUUUUU-"

"GRAY DON'T JUST STAND THERE, MOVE IT!" Erza shouted as she ran towards him. In one moment, Erza had swiftly grabbed Ice-bastard and picked him up, slinging him over her shoulder. Immediatly after she handled Ice-face, she ran past me with ease.

John was the last of the group, trying his hardest to keep up, but was failing misreably.

"John!" I shouted and skidded to a hault, "John pick up the pase!"

"I'm trying!" he replied, huffing and puffing out gulps of air.

Off on the side, something caught my eye. The rocks, well, more like boulders; they were in seeing distance now, all about 100 feet from us and moving fast.

"Metal-ass, grab John!" I yelled, watching as he nodded and ran over to John. Picking him up, Metal-head carried John bridal-style and passed me with no discomfort or difficulty.

Now, I was the last person. Funny how I'm the fastest runner of our group and yet I'm letting everyone go ahead of me. Wait, there's no time for these stupid thoughts! I turned around and was ready to run, but somehow, in the first five running steps, I managed to fall to my knees and get stuck in the mud. My foot was caught on something under the disgusting brown goop. "Shit!" I muttered as I tried to pull my leg from the thick mud.

The rocks were getting closer. From where I was stuck, I could feel the impact and vibrations of the boulders hitting each other with a crushing force.

I stared wide-eyed as the rocks were now only 30 feet away and rapidly getting closer.

Remembering my situation, I struggled to get out of the mud. "Come on!" I shouted as one last jerk pulled my leg free. Not even looking back, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, not caring if my body was protesting against me to rest.

I ran straight ahead towards the bend. If my memory is correct, the rocks would continue down the trail and hit the trees, ultimately stopping just as I round the bend to safety.

The others had already made it to the bend, but they stopped. "What are you doing?! Keep going!" I shouted, staring at them with an incredulous look and running towards them. I was still considerably farther then them, but I was in hearing distance.

They looked at me. "It's blocked off!" Erza responded over the rain. "Some trees have fallen!" John shouted on an added note.

_Oh no._ My mind was working as fast as it could, trying to find a way to get us all out of this catastrophe safetly. Lemme put it to you simply and bluntly; there wasn't a way to do that.

Thinking as blindly as I could, I shouted out the first thing that came to me, "Hide behind the trees!"

They all did just that and hid behind the huge oak trees that had fallen along the way. It should keep them safe from debris. For now.

They watched me and started to wave and gesture for me to run over to where they were, but there was no way I could make it if I changed course now. If I did, I'd have at least have a limb or two broken and be in a serious, critical condition, holding them back and myself being dead weight.

John noticed me and saw through what I was going to do. There was only one option of me surviving this and my brother saw as to what I was going to do. He looked to where I was running towards and back to me.

"Natsu!" he screamed, his eyes wide and full of fear as I had ran straight for the bend. While as I was running, my feet slipped up a couple of times, making me trip on the way towards my destination, which was through the trees and towards the waterfall.

The sound of the boulders hitting the ground and other debris filled my ears as I came to the edge of the trees, closer to the waterfall then before. Fragements of some trees flew through the air as more and more rocks piled up, shoving the trees roots out of the ground. This, in return, pushed the trees over the edge, making the large plants fall deep and over the edge of the waterfall. I stopped briefly and looked down at the water rushing over the edge of the steep overhang. Out of all the things I noticed, my heart beating faster than normal was the only thing that really stood out.

I took a deep breath, hearing the thunder bang above me and the lightning clash with the dark sky.

_I'm sorry guys_, I breathed in the air.

I felt the vibration of a big SMASH! from behind me as a boulder hit the trees, making a domino effect. The trees that were hit by the boulders fell forward, hitting and pulling me over the edge of the waterfall.

Drowning in the water, the rapids pulled me farther and farther from my team, who was screaming at me with wide eyes and shocked faces. My vision became blurry as I was kept under water and everything went black once I breathed in gulps of water.

Before I passed out deep in the abyss of the aqua that was constricting my lungs, one thought came to my mind, out of pure and utter randomness before I was done and wouldn't wake up 'til morning.

_Be safe and don't forget me, everyone._

**so?...please commment/review!**

**thank you all for commenting/reviewing to my previous chapters! :**

**GoldenRoseTanya**

Code Red 49

LuckyLifeSmile

KawaiiOdango

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**thank you so much!**

**i cant wait to start on the next chapter!, **

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